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SMAD. An Organ of Student Opinion. 1937. Volume 8. Number 2.

Politicians — A Primate and a Prince

page 3

Politicians

A Primate and a Prince

"I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak ..." "... and he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you and not bestowed on me—a happy home with his wife and children. . .

Those who heard it will never forget Edward's farewell broadcast from Windsor Castle on December 11, 1936. Three months have flown by since then—months fraught with enquiry. What is the truth about the abdication? Many are satisfied with the Simpson story splashed in the daily papers. Many more, with a peculiar distaste for the daily news, feel that the guff they read in the dailies was not even half the truth. As it has been said, more than once, "Mrs. Simpson was the occasion, not the cause." Then, on February 16th, 1937, by the grace of a monopoly-holder, the English magazines of December, 1936, came to hand. From "Calvalcade" (Dec. 12th), "the accurate, brisk, complete news-magazine" came the history of the events relating to the abdication. "Cavalcade," be it said, claims in Edward a "careful and regular reader" and in the then Duke of York and in the Duke of Kent "personal subscribers."

And so we began to see new light on the affair. In a paragraph headed "The Real History of the Crisis," "Cavalcade" included:—

"Cavalcade November 14—King Edward says he will tour the Empire in face of all opposition.

Cavalcade November 28—Has Malcolm Stewart brought to him on South Wales question without consulting the Cabinet.

Cavalcade November 28 — Aristocrats alarmed at limits of King's constitutional rights. 'He could disband Parliament, marry a commoner and raise her to royal status.'

We read, too, in the "Daily Mirror" of Edward's welcome in the distressed areas of South Wales; of his promise to help, and of the subsequent disturbance in the Cabinet. Do you think it was only Mrs. Simpson? Then came the Primate's shameful attack on the abdicated monarch . . . "Even more strange and sad it is, that he should have sought his happiness in a manner inconsistent with the Christian principles of marriage, and with a social circle whose standards and ways of life are alien to all the best instincts and traditions of his people" . . . The head of the Church of England displayed a lively Christian charity. The politico-gaiter party continued. Hypocrisy and lies took charge. It must have been pleasing to atheists and agnostics to witness bishops and politicians spouting speeches on morality. A King wished to marry a woman he loved. Oh no, not they. Every King except George V. could have a mistress if he liked and the church would bless a loveless contract with a foreign princess. But when a King wishes to marry the woman of his own choice the Church boggles. Why? It must have been known that if Edward now marries Mrs. Simpson she will be H.R.H. the Duchess of Windsor, and that they will rank in the peerage after the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Why the crisis? Ask Baldwin!

Or better still, read H.G. Wells' article where, inter alia, he say.—: "I have never yet heard one single word or suggestion that she (Mrs. Simpson) was anything but a perfectly honourable, highly intelligent and charmingly mannered woman" . . . For once Wells and Shaw agreed. Read an extract from Shaw's pungent fiction, "The King, The Constiution and The Lady: Another Fictitious Dialogue" . . . "For the new king, though just turned 40, was unmarried; and now that he was a king he wanted to settle down and set a good example to his people by becoming a family man. He needed a gentle, soothing sort of wife, because his nerves were very sensitive and the conversation of his ministers was often very irritating. As it happened, he knew a lady who had just those qualities. Her name, as well as I can remember it, was Mrs. Daisy Bell, and as she was an American she had been married twice before and was. therefore, likely to make an excellent wife for a king who had never been married at all. All this seemed natural and proper; but in the country of the Half Mad you never could count on anything going off quietly. The Government, for instance, would let whole districts fall into ruin and destitution without turning a hair ..."

But. backed by the politicians, Baldwin & Co., by the "Times," and by the Archbishop and his minions, the Thing continued. The birds of a feather flocked together. The old brigade of professional politicians and meddling prelates found a 'crisis' out of a situation which was as plain, decent and clear-cut as any. Why? Edward—The Smiling Prince. Edward-The Empire's No. 1 Salesman. Edward-fawned on and adulated. Edward—Sacked. Why? . . .

Space will not permit a full enquiry in this skeleton sketch. Once again H.G.W. must be quoted to sum the matter up as concisely as possible. . . . "Authorities do not like him. People in privileged positions shiver slightly at the report of him. He flies about in airplanes, arrives unexpectedly and looks into things . . . he is un-ceremonious, he is unconventional, he asks the most disconcerting questions about social conditions . . .

Edward-who-would-have-been-greater-still was no mere figurehead. He was a menace to conservatism, to wowserism, to reaction and to decay. He displayed his usual tact and consideration last December and to avoid strife left. The Politician and the Primate remain. But the honours and honour remain with the Prince.

J.N.S.